MAESTRO: Jacinthe Lamontagne-Lecomte, a French-Canadian artist, with her painting. Photos by Ram Chand

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By Mudassir Raja

As a tribute to women for the International Women’s Month, a seasoned female artist has depicted women in a unique and attractive way. Jacinthe Lamontagne-Lecomte, a French-Canadian artist, showcased different but beautiful faces of women in 22 art pieces that she put on in a month-long exhibition at Corridor in Grand Hyatt Hotel. Members of artists’ community attended the opening ceremony in large numbers. Stefanie McCollum, Ambassador of Canada, was the chief guest on the occasion.
The exhibition titled ‘Her She Us’ included artworks featuring photos of women, living and working in Qatar, through photo-transfer mixed media paintings. The visitors, mainly from French and Canadian expatriate communities, generously applauded the works of Jacinthe, who has effortlessly permeated into the art-scape of Doha.
Talking to Community, Jacinthe said, “The exhibition is all about women. I did an exhibition earlier as well and it featured women working at Grand Hyatt Hotel only. Then, I got an idea to hold another exhibition with mixed media for the Women’s Day, as a tribute to women of today’s time. So, I captured images of more women living in and around Qatar.”
“‘Her She Us’ is all about women. The exhibition featured women from various sectors and professions – all unique and amazing in their own way.”
She adds, “All these pieces are very special to me because these are the photos of the people I know. Usually, the last piece I work on is my favourite one. My favourite piece in this exhibition is the photo of Usa, who works at Grand Hyatt. The girl is extremely pretty and I love her story. She is a very caring woman.”
Sharing details about herself, Jacinthe said, “I am married to a French pilot working with Qatar Airways. I have been living in Doha for about 15 years. I split my time between Canada, France and Qatar.
“I started painting and creating pieces in 2012. Before starting my career as an artist, I was working as a manager. Initially I started with clay. It was not easy to get the clay of my choice in Qatar. So, I decided to do something else. I came along the photo-transfer thing. Since, my husband is a pilot and I travel a lot, I wanted to share all those faces I come across in different parts of the world with other people. I neither consider myself as a photographer nor an artist. I take a photo and enlarge it. Then I put special medium on it. After that, I either do the transfer on the canvass or I first work on the canvas and then transfer the photos on it. I use every kind of material for my art work.
“We call it photo-transfer with mix media because I use a lot of things. It can be coffee, tea, clothes, paper and whatever. This exhibition carries 22 art pieces. I have had numerous group exhibitions in Doha. I have done some solo exhibitions as well. Various hotels in Doha have my work on their walls. I am a part of the Fine Arts Society as well.”
The artist added, “It may be my last exhibition featuring mix media works. I would like to do something else now. I would like to work with another medium. I think after a while you have to renew yourself. You have to do something new. I am not sure yet but I have to find a new medium.”
Ambassador Stefanie said, “It is beautiful art. It is an honour to be here to celebrate the opening of the exhibition by the Canadian artist, who is showcasing personalities she has come across in Qatar and has brought about their unique features, emotions and styles.”
When asked about the relevance of the exhibition with the Women’s Day, she said, “It is timely. We are in the International Women’s Month. I don’t think it just needs to be a day, a week or a month. We need to support women all year round in all fields, including art, culture, sports, politics and business It’s very important.
“It is very important for me, being a woman, to be out there supporting a female artist. I think it does elevate the exposure. It is just bringing a lot of exposure to the importance of creativity in women.”
Nancy Rosales, a close friend of the artist, said, “I know her as an artist for three years. I have regularly been attending her exhibitions. She’s a very modern sort of artist. She shows facial aspects of human. For me it is a different approach.
“It is actually a high time that we highlight the importance of women in today’s society. As a woman I am happy that it is highlighted through this exhibition.”